ABSTRACT
Cotton has been grown for at least 5,000 years. World production has increased from 50.5 million bales in 1965 to a mean of 65.3 million bales for 1979-81. Cotton is a tropical plant, many types of which are adapted to temperate climates. It does best with high temperatures, abundant soil moisture, and high soil fertility. By projecting regional yields per hectare from previous years to future realities, perhaps a 1500 kg/ha lint yield should be considered in describing mineral nutrient utilization by cotton. Agricultural cultivars of Gossypiumhirsutum, commonly called upland cotton, are characterized as annual subshrubs with few vegetative branches and short- to medium-fine fibers borne on seeds within rather large, rounded, usually 4 to 5 loculed capsules. Cotton plant populations from 20,000 to 50,000 per acre produce the same amount of cotton in rainfed regions.
